Indiana News

Pulling Chestnut seedlings to be used for grafting

On March 4, 2022 Caleb Kell, who works on chestnut breeding at Purdue’s Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center, pulled and packaged American chestnut seedlings at the Indiana DNR state tree nursery at Vallonia Indiana. These robust seedlings are one year old. Caleb was assisted by chapter volunteer Sharon Kotnik as well as workers from the nursery.

Many of these seedlings will be used as rootstock. The stem will be cut off a short way above the roots and scion wood will be grafted onto the rootstock. Scion wood is a shoot or twig cut from the upper branches of an existing full grown tree, in this case a long term surviving American chestnut tree.

Often grafting is the only way an old chestnut found in the forest can be preserved. Chestnut trees that are still alive after many years of growing in the wild and surviving the blight are a very valuable genetic resource and their genetics or “germplasm” needs to be preserved for breeding ever more blight resistant chestnuts. The grafted trees are grown in our germplasm conservation orchard, GCO. The pollen and nuts from our GCOs are used to breed new backcross chestnuts and also sent to locations where TACF is doing research on producing transgenic chestnut trees using the oxalate oxidase gene.

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Finding your first American chestnut in the wild is an unforgettable moment. 🌳
Hal Brindley, TACF’s website administrator, shares how you can find these trees using just a few free apps on your phone.

Watch Hal’s quick video, then head to our website for his full step-by-step guide to discovering wild chestnuts and helping restore this iconic species. tacf.org/find-wild-american-chestnuts/
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Does anyone know how TACF's ....LSA program is coming along? How it is being structured and are the growers of the "wild type" mother orchards involved with input in selecting best trees? Is there a TACF "Czar" overseeing the project? Have new orchards been established yet to plant the finest pure Americans together at this time? TACF has the unique ability to perfect this all natural selection program from all the the mother tree orchards that are not tainted with the hybrids or GMOs yet. Has as much energy gone into this program as the good old backcrossing program? If not , why not??? It is a terrific model for breeding the survival of the fittest Castanea dentata. Maybe then they could even get ACCF and other private growers to contribute and provide insights.

From what I’ve seen it’s a combination. Trees growing in more ideal soil tend to fight the blight better. I have also seen that trees getting less sun tend to do worse than those in full sun.

Great post! Herb Darling would be proud and happy if he was still around to see this.

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🌰 For the 8th straight year, Dr. Han Chuan Ong and his King University class volunteered at TACF’s Meadowview Research Farms during harvest processing! After touring MRF to learn about TACF’s mission, the students rolled up their sleeves to shuck burs and support chestnut restoration. We’re grateful for this long-standing partnership that strengthens both education and conservation. 🌳
This year, we were also joined by Emory & Henry College students, including Bonner Scholars and other volunteers, who lent their time and energy to help with the harvest. We’re so thankful for their hard work and enthusiasm — and we look forward to welcoming even more students next year to continue growing this tradition of learning and conservation! 🍂

#AmericanChestnut #MeadowviewResearchFarms #americanchestnutfoundation#ChestnutResearch #ConservationScience #harvest
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We are a middle school in Ohio and our middle schoolers are doing the same thing this past week.

www.facebook.com/share/1HjBGYMgnn/?mibextid=wwXIfr We are hosting our own seminar November 1st with our sponsor and speaking about the tree and its science and history w a OH-TACF admin and member.

🌰 What a fantastic American Chestnut Day at The North Carolina Arboretum!

From seedling sales and student research posters to inspiring talks, poetry, and a screening of Clear Day Thunder, the day was packed with learning, connection, and celebration of the American chestnut’s incredible story.

A heartfelt thank-you to everyone who joined us, and to our event sponsor, Warren Wilson College, for helping make it all possible! 💚
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Enjoyed stopping by, hopefully next time the tree sale will be better equipped to accept different forms of payment 🙂

What are the chance that someone out there does have some true american chestnut seeds for sale or to give away . I only would like maybe a dozen and a half if anybody has then in north carolina. Thanks and god bless you

Maryland friends, come on out to the MD Chapter Chestnut Festival on Sunday, October 19! Visit tacf.org/event/maryland-chapter-chestnut-festival/ for more! ... See MoreSee Less

Maryland friends, come on out to the MD Chapter Chestnut Festival on Sunday, October 19! Visit https://tacf.org/event/maryland-chapter-chestnut-festival/ for more!

🌰 Harvest processing at TACF’s Meadowview Research Farms is equal parts important science and hands-on fun! Staff and volunteers shuck burs and sort chestnuts with care, ensuring quality seeds for future plantings and solid data for research. It’s a lively, rewarding way to support restoration while sharing in the joy of chestnut season together. 🌳

#AmericanChestnut #MeadowviewResearchFarms #americanchestnutfoundation#ChestnutResearch #ConservationScience #harvest
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That was our job after school pick up the chestnuts, we opened them up with our feet.

What do I do with mine? I have 2 gallons I collected this year for the first time.

Are these trees pure dentata?

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